BLOG: Bosh needs some advice from Air Jordan

Michael Jordan offered some free advice to Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant recently.“The only thing he told me was 'stay out of trouble,''' Bryant said. "Hearing it come from him—he is a strong voice. His opinion matters.”Good advice.Now Jordan needs to call and visit with Chris Bosh.

Kirt Manion/Nebraska City News-Press

Michael Jordan offered some free advice to Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant recently. “The only thing he told me was 'stay out of trouble,''' Bryant said. "Hearing it come from him—he is a strong voice. His opinion matters.”Good advice.Now Jordan needs to call and visit with Chris Bosh. The Miami Heat star needs some direction. And it’s the kind of advice that Jordan, a six-time NBA champion, is uniquely qualified to offer.Miami heads into game five of the Eastern Conference Finals tonight against the Indiana Pacers and the stakes couldn’t be much higher. The team that wins game five of a seven-game series tied at 2-2 ends up winning the series well over 80 percent of the time.How can Bosh best serve the Heat team in this critical game?The answer lies in examples like Horace Grant and Dennis Rodman.During Jordan’s initial three championship run, Grant was the guy who did the grinding. He got the rebounds that ended opponent’s possessions. He got the rebounds that extended offensive trips. And he harassed the Bulls’ foes on defense. Jordan then retired and went off to be a baseball player for a year and a half. But he still wanted to play basketball, so he went back to the Bulls. Following Jordan’s return in the middle of the 1994-95 season, the Bulls pushed into the postseason, but were eliminated from the playoffs. Grant wasn’t with that group. He had moved on to Orlando in the previous offseason.The Bulls missed Grant’s presence and Jordan even eluded to that fact after the Bulls lost their playoff series.Chicago picked up Rodman in the offseason. And he did for the team what Grant had done.Three championships followed.What does any of this have to do with Miami?The current Heat structure indicates three stars, LaBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Bosh. Is there any doubt about who the lead dog is right now?Nope. It’s James.And second in command?You guessed it. Wade.Where does that leave Bosh? In the opinion of this writer, that leaves him in limbo. He’s not the star player. He’s the third wheel. And he’s somewhat forgotten at times.But he can do more.Bosh is more talented that Grant or Rodman. He can rebound. He can grind. He can be a pest. James and Wade are going to be the stars. Why not do what’s best for the team?So Jordan needs to call and tell Bosh to quit worrying about filling out his position as the third of the “Big 3” and start worrying about what will best help the team.Maybe, since Jordan has that strong voice, Bosh will listen. And the Heat can win their second straight NBA title.